Live Now, Don’t Wait

One of my ancestors farmed in Vermont in the 1800’s. The lure of virgin land to the west convinced them to sell their land and settle in southern Michigan. They probably packed their belongings in a horse drawn wagon along with six months worth of food and headed for “heaven.” The only problem with their new land was it had no house. They built a house without electricity or running water. Early houses had sod roofs that leaked. They found food in the forests since no town offered the convenience of a general store and they made the best of it.

They married when a preacher passed through, they had children and they buried their dead without fanfare. They didn’t wait for a real house with real doors and windows to begin living life. They lived without the help of hospital staff when baby was due to arrive. They lived without a local police force to protect them from Natives.

Eventually cities grew up around them and their children didn’t have to farm. They could live in real houses with real doors and windows. And now their children (my generation) are waiting to live life for that perfect moment when the house, the job and the career are all lined up.

My female ancestors were tougher than me. They wore long skirts in summer, made food from nothing, dipped candles in the absence of electricity, hauled water in the absence of plumbing. They birthed their babies with or without a midwife. I admire them. If they could do it with nothing, I can live with all the conveniences of a modern city.

I’m not afraid to start. I’m going to do now what it might be easier to put off until life got “easier.” I’m going to cook even though it is dreadfully hot this summer. I’m going to haul hoses in the absence of a sprinkler system. I’m going to wash clothes and dry them with electricity and not complain that I have to fold them too. I’m going to enjoy life for being easier and more comfortable. I’ll honor them by not being a wimp. I’ll work on building my toughness. Someday I’ll learn to make food with nothing. I’ll sell cookbooks without recipes. Someday I’ll be tough but I’ll live life anyway.